I try to take initiative to help out the department and they could all care less and I'm not even looking for a pat on the back. Just their demeanor speaks volumes. Including the head tech and the supervisor.

Makes me just want to do enough while on shift just to get by under the radar and not do a damn thing more.

Sorry for the rant but who's ran into this? Am I naive for expecting anything less in the workplace or is it time to move on?

I try to take initiative to help out the department and they could all care less and I'm not even looking for a pat on the back. Just their demeanor speaks volumes. Including the head tech and the supervisor.

Makes me just want to do enough while on shift just to get by under the radar and not do a damn thing more.

Sorry for the rant but who's ran into this? Am I naive for expecting anything less in the workplace or is it time to move on?

Sounds like you need to start looking for a new job. It's easier to go to work and smile when you know you're working on your exit plan.

You need a new job. You are only 31. Move on. The culture at your workplace is not going to change.
The economy apparently is doing wry well, and jobs are available. A good time to look around. Your life is being compromised by your workplace.
I have had so many jobs in my lifetime that I would not think about it. 31 years old, do you think you will be at this job until your are 65. I think not, therefore a new job is only a question of when.

I try to take initiative to help out the department and they could all care less and I'm not even looking for a pat on the back. Just their demeanor speaks volumes. Including the head tech and the supervisor.

Makes me just want to do enough while on shift just to get by under the radar and not do a damn thing more.

Sorry for the rant but who's ran into this? Am I naive for expecting anything less in the workplace or is it time to move on?

That may seem like a dream job at a future point in your life since the environment is indifferent rather than abusive.

Ideally, you could find a job you where you would be well-paid and highly-appreciated, but you may have to create that type of environment yourself instead of expecting to find it and just show up to have everyone welcome you aboard as they would on a cruise ship.

Don't get too emotional about this; you are presenting yourself with a false dichotomy. I am going through something insane at work right now as well, and the only intelligent thing to do is BE CALM and rational. At the core of your relationship, you and your employer are trading time for money. Does the time spent justify your compensation? All the other concerns are secondary to this. You can't expect other employees to immediately embrace every idea as genius... even if it is. Don't sulk, don't play passive aggressive, just have it ready if/when the time comes and you are asked for it. If you want to call the shots, save enough money so you don't have to work for a wage or go to work for yourself..

I went through this at my last job. It was a great job but it wasn't a good fit for the type of work I wanted to be doing. Tried taking a promotion into a more challenging job to try to find some enjoyment but about 6 months into the new job I realized I just needed to do something entirely different. Once I set my mind to find something else life got better because I knew I wasn't going to be there forever. I also went through this in my late 20s/early 30s after working for this place for 8 years. Don't let the golden handcuffs hold you back.

I'll echo everyone else and say don't burn bridges, just show up, do your job, and get out so you can spend time working towards a new goal. Don't talk about it at work until you have something definitive to tell your boss.

I try to take initiative to help out the department and they could all care less and I'm not even looking for a pat on the back. Just their demeanor speaks volumes. Including the head tech and the supervisor.

Makes me just want to do enough while on shift just to get by under the radar and not do a damn thing more.

Sorry for the rant but who's ran into this? Am I naive for expecting anything less in the workplace or is it time to move on?

I've been lucky enough to have some jobs I really loved, and two that were terrible. Then there are jobs where you're just marking time and no one gives a %$##@. Try to find a job in the first category. Life is short.

I have to say, my 36+ years at a Megacorp (really two, as the original company merged with another) was a generally positive experience. I enjoyed my work, especially after switching to software engineering, and had many good coworkers. There are always some chuckleheads along the way, and some tasks you get assigned that you don't much like, but it's called work for a reason.

I could have retired a year earlier than I did, but things were interesting enough that stretching it out didn't bother me.

This week's fortune cookie: "Your financial life will be secure and beneficial." So I got that going for me, which is nice.

I try to take initiative to help out the department and they could all care less and I'm not even looking for a pat on the back. Just their demeanor speaks volumes. Including the head tech and the supervisor.

Makes me just want to do enough while on shift just to get by under the radar and not do a damn thing more.

Sorry for the rant but who's ran into this? Am I naive for expecting anything less in the workplace or is it time to move on?

I’m going to give a slightly different take on this – not because I disagree with the responses you’ve received, but because I think it is also important to address the question you asked at the very beginning of your post.

Clearly, you are taking the matter quite personal. Being in your early 30s now is a good time to figure out a way around those emotionally-driven reactions to being disappointed or feeling slighted, etc. Chances are stuff like this will happen throughout your career, and unless you have a thicker skin you are likely to gain a reputation as a malcontent or difficult to work with or a slew of other unflattering labels.

I have experienced your side of the situation as an employee, and can understand the frustration you’ve expressed here. I have also dealt with similar scenarios involving others on behalf of an employer. In reality, we are only hearing your perspective and there are too many details unknown to us to suggest exactly what to do. We don’t know about your company, or your work history, or your relationship with boss and co-workers, or, to be blunt, whether your ideas have been good ones. We can only make assumptions and give feedback accordingly.

With that said, your subjective experience of your job and workplace is what it is. If you do not see a way around the unhappiness it brings then it probably makes sense to look elsewhere. And, like others have said, do so in an amiable, professional manner. You could very well move on to a much more desirable situation. But it is also possible that in ten years from today you will have worked for multiple companies only to find yourself having amassed a collection of disappointments and frustrations similar to what you’re experiencing now. In that case, your future self might be forced to consider the common denominator in all of it.

Think carefully about what it is you enjoy doing professionally, what you’re good at, and what you expect from an employer, a boss and those around you. Get clear on these things if you haven’t already and certainly before taking a position elsewhere. This is a good time to check yourself.

I try to take initiative to help out the department and they could all care less and I'm not even looking for a pat on the back. Just their demeanor speaks volumes. Including the head tech and the supervisor.

Makes me just want to do enough while on shift just to get by under the radar and not do a damn thing more.

Sorry for the rant but who's ran into this? Am I naive for expecting anything less in the workplace or is it time to move on?

Sounds like you need to start looking for a new job. It's easier to go to work and smile when you know you're working on your exit plan.

I have to say, my 36+ years at a Megacorp (really two, as the original company merged with another) was a generally positive experience. I enjoyed my work, especially after switching to software engineering, and had many good coworkers. There are always some chuckleheads along the way, and some tasks you get assigned that you don't much like, but it's called work for a reason.

I could have retired a year earlier than I did, but things were interesting enough that stretching it out didn't bother me.

You are lucky - I am leaving Mega Corp in 17 calendar days. I can't wait.

Well, I would just try to get used to it. That's why they call it work.
What you are experiencing is perfectly normal.

Just about everyone I knew at work in big telecom, all sorts of people, felt just like you do. The ones that gave up and quit ended up with upended, insecure, mostly contractor jobs for the long term and regretted walking out as an impulsive, immature decision.

Job insecurity and being the new person in a new job is no picnic. You have to prove yourself all over again.
The grass is always greener.

If you have some dream-work or specific personal goal/career/new line of work you want, that's fine, but don't just take some new corporate job and expect it to be better overall.

If you really want to improve things, try to look for a public job. Those I know in fed/state/local jobs seem much happier.

Well, I would just try to get used to it. That's why they call it work.
What you are experiencing is perfectly normal.

Just about everyone I knew at work in big telecom, all sorts of people, felt just like you do. The ones that gave up and quit ended up with upended, insecure, mostly contractor jobs for the long term and regretted walking out as an impulsive, immature decision.

Job insecurity and being the new person in a new job is no picnic. You have to prove yourself all over again.
The grass is always greener.

If you have some dream-work or specific personal goal/career/new line of work you want, that's fine, but don't just take some new corporate job and expect it to be better overall.

If you really want to improve things, try to look for a public job. Those I know in fed/state/local jobs seem much happier.

Exactly. Every job will have good sides and bad sides, most problems tend to be related to people. If you truly can't stand the work, you're at a total dead end or have some personal issues you can't solve, move on. Otherwise: there's a reason why people say Thank God It's Friday!

Only you can answer this and you have all the options right here in this thread. I worked 30 years at megacorp and knew I would from day one. I did a good job. I never hated work but most of my happiness came from being secure and from my family and hobbies. Others I worked with had to get out.

Don't get too emotional about this; you are presenting yourself with a false dichotomy. I am going through something insane at work right now as well, and the only intelligent thing to do is BE CALM and rational. At the core of your relationship, you and your employer are trading time for money. Does the time spent justify your compensation? All the other concerns are secondary to this. You can't expect other employees to immediately embrace every idea as genius... even if it is. Don't sulk, don't play passive aggressive, just have it ready if/when the time comes and you are asked for it. If you want to call the shots, save enough money so you don't have to work for a wage or go to work for yourself..

I was at a Megacorp when I was 30. hated every day. I interviewed with a smaller project team in the firm for a different position on a smaller project. That helped greatly, but I still wasn't happy/content. Dreaded going to work on Monday.
So I interviewed with a couple small firms when I was 31. I got a great job offer and switched jobs. Night and Day. I was so happy and stayed there almost 10 years. Now I only work for small firms where I have more autonomy and control and little bureaucracy.

As someone above mentioned, have a paycheck at all beats the pants off of having zero paycheck and zero offers.

As well, an 'indifferent' environment beats the pants off of a toxic and abusive environment.

There are quite a few folks trapped in toxic, abusive, or hellacious commute work conditions because of life circumstances beyond their immediate control, so consider yourself lucky in that you have options and the time to take advantage of it. At 45, 50, 50+, you often pick up a lot of life obligations (kid, spouse, house, etc.) that force you to make choices about work that you wouldn't love.

Makes me just want to do enough while on shift just to get by under the radar and not do a damn thing more.

This is what your co-workers are doing, and your enthusiasm is rocking that boat. If you are OK with adopting this attitude too, then stay at your job. If you want more out of life and your work, take a promotion and change the culture there, or just move on to another job.

I have to say, my 36+ years at a Megacorp (really two, as the original company merged with another) was a generally positive experience. I enjoyed my work, especially after switching to software engineering, and had many good coworkers. There are always some chuckleheads along the way, and some tasks you get assigned that you don't much like, but it's called work for a reason.

I could have retired a year earlier than I did, but things were interesting enough that stretching it out didn't bother me.

Note the OP never said he worked for a Megacorp. Lots of folks jumping to conclusions in this thread (we also don't know the OPs occupation which has a bearing on what advice should be given).

I was in your shoes and made my move after 12 years of steady growth. The problem was butting heads with the 90 day wonder instant managers who couldn't do my job, but somehow got promoted to jobs they were unqualified for. I realized the company was doomed and left two years before they shut their doors forever. Been content for the last 20 years and should be able to retire with a company that has left me the H@ll alone to do a good job and mentor many newbies to the point of their promotion to managerial positions.

You need to get out of a toxic environment and let those left behind go down with the ship.

I try to take initiative to help out the department and they could all care less and I'm not even looking for a pat on the back. Just their demeanor speaks volumes. Including the head tech and the supervisor.

Makes me just want to do enough while on shift just to get by under the radar and not do a damn thing more.

Sorry for the rant but who's ran into this? Am I naive for expecting anything less in the workplace or is it time to move on?

Yes, you're naive.

It is possible that you're in a department where people don't care, but It is also possible that you're misreading the situation and people's motivations and it is all in your head. People have motivations, but rarely can their behavior be explained because they just don't care.

What evidence do you have that people don't care? Is this a corporate job? a government job?

Makes me just want to do enough while on shift just to get by under the radar and not do a damn thing more.

Sounds about right for any rank and file employee. Employers have no one to blame for themselves for creating a culture where the employee is so disincentived to do more then the bare minimum as this type of description is so rampant in the working world.

This happens at every job in America. My wife was a doctor in the "corporate medicine" route until just recent. My advice for her at that time was, "Do as little as you can to not get fired". Sad, but true.

If you want more out of the job then you need to have a meeting with your employer and find out what options are available for you to expand your role. If they are hesitant (as they usually are as they know eventually that means higher salary for you and/or someone else's job security is threatened) then start looking elsewhere.

You are not naive, but are young and should not pigeonhole yourself in a job that is not satisfying in terms of growth.

Good luck.

"The stock market [fluctuation], therefore, is noise. A giant distraction from the business of investing.” |
-Jack Bogle

Lots of folks jumping to conclusions in this thread (we also don't know the OPs occupation which has a bearing on what advice should be given).

Agreed. It's hard to understand how such specific advice can be given when he (or she) provided little useful info other than that he's unhappy and believes the company doesn't care that he "takes initiative." Maybe his frustration is justified, or maybe he's being overly sensitive. Maybe both. Who knows. Having been on both sides of the coin, it's not always as simple as the company being the bad guy in every instance that someone's feelings are hurt. And yes, some places are absolutely rotten to work. I'm just not making that assumption based on what little the OP shared about his situation.

It took me way too long to discover/ realize that I should not expect my job to be a significant source of emotional gratification in my life. I spent far too long feeling hurt and irritated. After a while I realized that a job is just that - a job - and that sometimes I'll get praised, sometimes I'll get blamed (mostly unfairly, of course ), and most of the time I'll use my knowledge, training, and intellect to keep chaos at bay for another day, and then go home to my real world.

All that being said, I've decided to retire at the end of the year. My tolerance for idiocy has apparently run out.

The continuous execution of a sound strategy gives you the benefit of the strategy. That's what it's all about. --Rick Ferri

I try to take initiative to help out the department and they could all care less and I'm not even looking for a pat on the back. Just their demeanor speaks volumes. Including the head tech and the supervisor.

Makes me just want to do enough while on shift just to get by under the radar and not do a damn thing more.

Sorry for the rant but who's ran into this? Am I naive for expecting anything less in the workplace or is it time to move on?

The worst thing you can do for your career is to just give in and do enough to stay under the radar.

I try to take initiative to help out the department and they could all care less and I'm not even looking for a pat on the back. Just their demeanor speaks volumes. Including the head tech and the supervisor.

Makes me just want to do enough while on shift just to get by under the radar and not do a damn thing more.

Sorry for the rant but who's ran into this? Am I naive for expecting anything less in the workplace or is it time to move on?

I’m going to give a slightly different take on this – not because I disagree with the responses you’ve received, but because I think it is also important to address the question you asked at the very beginning of your post.

Clearly, you are taking the matter quite personal. Being in your early 30s now is a good time to figure out a way around those emotionally-driven reactions to being disappointed or feeling slighted, etc. Chances are stuff like this will happen throughout your career, and unless you have a thicker skin you are likely to gain a reputation as a malcontent or difficult to work with or a slew of other unflattering labels.

I have experienced your side of the situation as an employee, and can understand the frustration you’ve expressed here. I have also dealt with similar scenarios involving others on behalf of an employer. In reality, we are only hearing your perspective and there are too many details unknown to us to suggest exactly what to do. We don’t know about your company, or your work history, or your relationship with boss and co-workers, or, to be blunt, whether your ideas have been good ones. We can only make assumptions and give feedback accordingly.

With that said, your subjective experience of your job and workplace is what it is. If you do not see a way around the unhappiness it brings then it probably makes sense to look elsewhere. And, like others have said, do so in an amiable, professional manner. You could very well move on to a much more desirable situation. But it is also possible that in ten years from today you will have worked for multiple companies only to find yourself having amassed a collection of disappointments and frustrations similar to what you’re experiencing now. In that case, your future self might be forced to consider the common denominator in all of it.

Think carefully about what it is you enjoy doing professionally, what you’re good at, and what you expect from an employer, a boss and those around you. Get clear on these things if you haven’t already and certainly before taking a position elsewhere. This is a good time to check yourself.

A lot of truth in the above. My first five to ten years I had unrealistically high expectations. I would become bitter that people would not assign as much value to my work as I did. Others would progress faster with seemingly less accomplishment but a greater ability to fit in and go with the flow. Eventually I left and went to some other jobs. They weren’t better or worse. Each had their own challenges. But after getting a family, having been through several jobs and having managed employees, and having to deal with difficult internal customers my perspective changed somewhat. People are people everywhere. Some better some worse. They have their own priorities. They may be dealing with difficult internal clients, have difficult employees and dealing with their own family issues which is there priority. In the scheme of things my “accomplishments” may not be as important to them. With everything going on in their lives and their priorities people who go with the flow, don’t make waves and help them succeed are highly valued.

You probably can’t experience this until you’ve tried somewhere else. Either it is better, then problem solved, or else it isn’t then it is time for some soul searching.

Last edited by JBTX on Tue Feb 13, 2018 10:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I try to take initiative to help out the department and they could all care less and I'm not even looking for a pat on the back. Just their demeanor speaks volumes. Including the head tech and the supervisor.

Makes me just want to do enough while on shift just to get by under the radar and not do a damn thing more.

Sorry for the rant but who's ran into this? Am I naive for expecting anything less in the workplace or is it time to move on?

That may seem like a dream job at a future point in your life since the environment is indifferent rather than abusive.

Ideally, you could find a job you where you would be well-paid and highly-appreciated, but you may have to create that type of environment yourself instead of expecting to find it and just show up to have everyone welcome you aboard as they would on a cruise ship.

OP: Pajamas has a good point. You may like to read the following title:

If you really want to improve things, try to look for a public job. Those I know in fed/state/local jobs seem much happier.

I don't know about that. Getting a bad manager or co-workers in the public sector is just as soul-draining as it is in a megacorp. But in the public sector, it can be very hard to fire someone even if the next level of management realizes they are disrupting the workplace. The union contracts protect both the good and bad employees. At my state agency, I suffered through multiple years of a manager who micromanaged, based decisions on emotions, and took everything personally, to the point of not providing one group the resources it needed to meet regulations because the manager didn't like the person leading that group. That manager still was not fired when the next level of management was made aware of these issues. Many people quit rather than deal with that manager. That lasted until the manager got a better job elsewhere and left.

To the OP, you need to reflect a little more on the source of your discontent. Is it a "by the books" sort of job which doesn't leave much room for initiative? Suggesting new things in such an environment often falls on deaf ears because of the nature of the work. You might want to seek out a job that is more innovative if this is the case.

Is it because you are not getting along with your co-workers? If so, reflect on why you might not be getting along, including both internal and external factors. Friends outside of work and family can be helpful sounding boards on this one, but they may be too polite to point out potential interaction issues on your part. If there's something you can change to make the interactions better, work on that.

Have you researched the new things you're suggesting to see if they've been tried before? Often times we think we're being innovative when it's really just a rehash of old ideas that may have failed in the past. Those who have been around the block a few times will instantly discount such ideas upon recalling how they failed in the past, but they may not explain their reasons why. This can give the impression that they're discounting your ideas because they came from you, when it could just be bad communication on the part of your manager (e.g. not relaying how such a proposal failed in the past).

Related to this point, I would echo the recommendations to not take rejections personally and to not react emotionally in the workplace. Vent your emotions with family and/or non-work friends, but don't let it affect your work. As I said above, my worst manager was one who reacted to everything based on emotion. I also recently watched the lead for another group derail a project by reacting emotionally and chasing off their community partner. Negative emotions expressed in the workplace leads to negative environments in the workplace.

Thanks for your comment on my reply mudpuppy, but what you mention as a negative, being very hard to fire someone, is actually a HUGE advantage to you, most especially as you get older.

If someone ever been in the sights of a private company for layoff or just outright firing (for age or just something personal), they kiss the ground for a hard-to-fire policy, and you care almost nothing about the fact that someone at the next desk is not being let go.

There is nothing more soul draining than being fired with no job prospects out there.

And as far as your terrible boss being hard to fire in the public sector, I think that it is a fantasy that in a corporate job to think that your bad boss would be let go while you get to stay. That sounds pretty rare to me.

The rest of your post mudpuppy was great, wise advice and wonderfully, intelligently written and useful for anyone in the workplace and I enjoyed reading it. Thank you.

Thanks for your comment on my reply mudpuppy, but what you mention as a negative, being very hard to fire someone, is actually a HUGE advantage to you, most especially as you get older.

As I said, the union contracts protect both the good employees and the bad employees. As much as the protections are a strong bonus for the good employees, the job can be very soul-draining if you have a bad employee within or in charge of your group. It's a different type of negative workplace environment, but it is one that exists. My point by relaying the tale of my horrible manager is that it is unrealistic to expect a public sector job to be happier or to be immune to the troubles bad employees can cause in any workplace.

There are negative workplace environments everywhere, from megacorps to public sector to small businesses, and everything in between. Determining if one is a "stick it out until it changes" or "leave for potentially greener pastures" sort of person early on in one's career will help one immensely, regardless of the sector one is in. The OP is still young enough that this might be the first workplace strife experienced, so he/she may not have had to think this particular decision through before. I've determined that I'm personally a "stick it out" sort of gal, but even I had to seek the advice of the Bogleheads to determine that when the aforementioned bad manager was around.

I've also found the adage "do not rejoice when the bad employee leaves until you find out who is replacing the employee" to be a good mantra to employ. At the very least, it tempers expectations so you don't expect too much of the new employee and can be pleasantly surprised if they turn out to be a good employee. And it doesn't leave you too disappointed if they turn out to be just as bad as the person they're replacing.

Develop a career strategy. What do you want to be and where do you want to go? Don’t just change jobs to get a new job, change jobs to advance your career. Use jobs as stepping stones financially and for broader experience.

(That said, if you work for a tyrant or in a toxic organization, change jobs—carefully—without delay)

Sooner or later, you’ll work some place where your work is not adequately recognized. This can be cultural or specific to a supervisor. It’s not necessarily you.

One strategy to try and remedy the recognition issue is good old fashioned networking within your organization and developing good relationships with high profile and highly respected individuals.

Also figure out your professional development strategy. Graduate education, certifications, etc. This is an area of investment that will aid in landing higher paying jobs and qualifying for promotions. So, even if you aren’t well recognized, maybe it’s a time when school would work for you.

There are negative workplace environments everywhere, from megacorps to public sector to small businesses, and everything in between.

Amazing how we as a society put up with this nonsense.

Nobody likes to talk about it but a big part of the problem is that there are too many unqualified people in management positions who are only in their positions because they know somebody. I have heard similar stories in many companies.